Predecessor Saiful Rijal Role Sultan of Brunei Father Saiful Rijal Died 1402 | Religion Sunni Islam Successor Abdul Majid Hassan Name Shah Berunai Children Abdul Majid Hassan | |
Reign 1581 CE - 1582 CE (death) People also search for Abdul Majid Hassan, Muhammad Ali, Hassanal Bolkiah | ||
Sultan Shah Berunai was the ninth sultan of Brunei. He ascended the throne in 1581 on the death of his father Sultan Saiful Rijal. He died in 1582 without any male descendants and was succeeded by his younger brother Pengiran Muda Tengah Muhammad Hassan. During his reign he was concerned with production of a cannon for the defence of Brunei from the attacks of the Spanish army, that was headquartered in Manila, as a consequence of the Castille War.
Uncertainties
The earliest historical record of the Sultans of Brunei is not clearly known due to the poor early documentation of Brunei's history. Many elder members of the House of Bolkiah claim that their ancestors were the BaHassan and BaAlawi Saadah from Tarim and Hadhramawt in Yemen. In addition there has been an effort to Islamise the history, with the "official history" not matching up with verifiable foreign sources. The Batu Tarsilah, the genealogical record of the kings of Brunei, was not started until 1807 CE. Therefore, much of the intepretation on history relied on earlier Chinese sources and legends. It seems that the early Sultanate of Brunei was dependent on Chinese support, and perhaps early Sultans were of Chinese origin. Furthermore the earliest Sultans may have been practising the Hindu or Buddhist religions, with early names indicating this origin.